Paint display device



June 5, 1956 s, R. STUART EIAL 2,748,498

PAINT DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Nov. 10, 1951 INVENTORS SPENCER RSTU ART 6'' ALBERT R. RAYMOND FIGURE 2 United States Patent 2,748,498 PAINT DISPLAY DEVICE Spencer R. Stuart, Evanston, and Albert R. Raymond, Chicago, Ill., assignors to The Martin-Senour Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Ohio Application November 10, 1951, Serial No. 255,840 2 Claims. ores- 283 This invention relates to an improved display device for the comparison of colors used in interior and exterior decoration.

One object of the invention is to provide an attractive display means for color chips representing a variety of hue, value, chroma and quality of paint materials available for home decoration.

Another object of the invention is to provide a visible classified storage area for the aforementioned variety of color chips in the display device so that they may be conveniently selected from the storage areas at the pleasure of the observer; removed from the classified area and arranged in close proximity, one to the other, upon another area of the display board so as to reveal the harmony or contrast of the selected colors when used together in a decorative scheme interiorly or exteriorly of a residence.

Another object of the invention is to provide a color chip of polygonal shape having on its face a coating representative of a selected paint of a particular quality, on the reverse side of said chip an identification of the color and quality displayed upon the face of the color chip, and a magnetic button glued or otherwise permanently affixed to the reverse side of said chip.

Another object of this invention is to provide a supporting easel in conjunction with a vertical display board characterized by a backing sheet of magnetically responsive material included within the greater area of said display board.

A still further object of this invention consists in novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of the parts so that an observer may toy with the magnetic attraction between the color chip and the vertical display panel in such manner as to create an interest in a wide variety of possible color combinations from which he may elect the combination most suitable to his own taste.

The details of the subject invention are hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustratively set forth in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the display device.

Figure 2 is additionally a perspective view, but of the reverse side of one of the color chips.

In the preferred form and arrangement as shown in Figure 1, an easel 1 of triangular cross section 2 lends vertical support to panel 3 which is of sufficient size to allow for printing of advertising of a commercial nature on its face at 4 and 5. A thin band of material 6 running in parallel relation to the perimeter of the panel 3 and normal to its face defines the general area within which a material of magnetically responsive nature, e. g., a thin sheet of iron, serves as attachment means for the magnetically backed color chips, illustrated in detail in Figure 2 and generally in Figure 1, e. g., 7, 8, and 9. The area defined by the curved barrier 6 having magnetic response is further subdivided into a plurality of sections 10 through by means of vertical barriers 16 and horizontal barrier 17. One of these areas is designated as the planning board 11 and is of different planar elevation 2,748,498 Patented June 5, 1956 ice than the remaining areas so as to set off the planning board from the areas designated for storageof decorative coating chips as in areas 10, 12, 13, 14, and 15 The planning board 11 is further subdivided into a plurality of small polygonal areas as illustrated 18 and 19. Each of these areas may be labeled or classified to represent drapes, rug, accent color, wall, woodwork, ceiling, etc., in a section set aside for interior use; and porch, floor, doors, trim, roof, etc., in a section set apart for exterior paint color comparison.

The display device is provided with a plurality of color chips, e. g., 7, 8, and 9 of various hue, value and chroma in the qualities as are used for architectual purposes. We prefer to label the larger areas as follows: 13 Outside House Paint; 14 Accent colors; 15 Floor and trim; 10 Enamel; 12 Flat and Semi-gloss, covering the qualities of paints most often of interest.

A customer entering a paint store may pick ofi the magnetically backed color chips from the various labeled areas, e. g., 10, 12, 13, 14, and 15 and place them in abutting position to one another of the planning board 11 and there observe the harmony or contrast in color' achieved by the combination as shown 7, 8, and 9. Such color comparisons heretofore have been difficult to achieve through the usual color cards having mounted thereon in fixed relation to one another chips of various hue, value and chroma. Magnetic attachment facilitates arrangement of the color chips by removal from their classified storage areas and to the planning board. Addi-- tionally, the magnetic attachment means provides the' element of curious interest for the observer invariably aroused by magnetic forces.

Obviously, any polygonal shape may be employed for the design of the color-chip area, but the space upon the planning board and its form should be correspondential to the shape of the color chip. The term polygonal includes triangles, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, etc., but curvilinear color chips are not desired, as sharp color comparative means are thereby lost. Rectangular shaped color chips are simple to manufacture and provide a reasonable number of color combinations as would be found in the usual room defined by four wall areas. In Figure 2, the permanent magnetic means 20 may be of iron or other alloy characterized by its permanent magnetic quality and magnetic strength.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a display device of the character described, the combination of an easel, a vertical self-supporting sheet member forming a part of said easel, said vertical member containing Within a substantial portion of its area a magnetically responsive substance as an element thereof, the area backed by said magnetic substance subdivided into a plurality of classified areas, one of said areas set off from the others of said areas by a difference in planar elevation, said set-off area, in turn, subdivided into a plurality of polygonal zones and a series of corresponding polygonal color chips of substantially the same dimension as the said zones of various hue, value, chroma and quality, adapted to magnetic attachment to and detachment from any of the aforementioned areas and zones and a flat-bottomed, non-magnetic storage area for additional ones of said color chips of triangular crosssection in the base of said easel.

2. In a display device of the character described, a combination of an easel, a vertical self-supporting sheet member forming a part of said easel, said vertical member containing within a substantial portion of its area a magnetically responsive substance as an element thereof, the area backed by said magnetic substance subdivided into a plurality of classified areas separated and defined by elevated barriers normal to the plane of said vertical sheet, one. of said areas set off from the others of said areas by a difference in planar elevation, said set-off area, in turn, sub-divided into a plurality of rectangular zones and a series of rectangular color chips of substantially the same dimension as said rectangular zones of various hue, value, chroma and quality adapted to magnetic attachment to and detachment from any of the aforementioned areas and zones and a flat-bottomed, nonmagnetic storage area for additional ones of said color chips of triangular cross-section in the base of said easel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Austin Feb. 17, 1914 Brown Nov. 2, 1926 Legapke Apr. 12, 1927 Brown Dec. 11, 1928 Herlihy Mar. 18, 1941 Battle Apr. 15, 1941 Beary Aug. 12, 1941 Will Sept. 2, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 11, 1926 Great Britain May 22, 1935 Great Britain Mar. 12, 1948 

